I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for inspecting the quality of a weld.
II. Description of Related Art
There are many different industries, such as the automotive industry, in which two components are secured together by spaced apart welds in order to form a structure. In the automotive industry, many of the car panels are welded together in this fashion.
As long as the welds provide for good electrical contact between the two components in the structure, electromagnetic noise is dissipated and presents little problem. However, when one or more of the welds become corroded or otherwise defective so that the weld presents a point of high resistance, rather than low resistance, electrical noise may be propagated by the panels. Such electrical noise can cause interference with the infotainment systems of the vehicle, as well as other undesirable results. Consequently, it has become important to inspect the qualities of the welds in a structure to determine if any of the welds exhibit poor contact caused by rust or otherwise.
Previously, there has been no simple way to measure the contact impedance of the individual welds in a structure having a plurality of spaced apart welds. As such, it has been difficult, if not impossible, to identify and correct faulty welds in the structure.